2016 Ontario BioBlitz - Credit River Watershed | June 11-12

The 2016 Ontario BioBlitz started the morning of June 11 with a combination of blazing heat and gusting winds, but our 600-odd participants were not deterred. This year saw teams surveying six intensive sites throughout the watershed and three guided blitz sites, all spanning different habitats from the headwaters of the Credit River down to its mouth. Base Camp was hosted in the heart of Mississauga at The Riverwood Conservancy, where we also held our first NatureFest public festival in conjunction with the 2016 Flagship BioBlitz event.

Highlights:

About 500 attendees

1242 species identified (and counting!)

Of those identified, 14 are Federally- or provincially-listed Species At Risk, including a new record for the Endangered bat species Myotis leiibi, the Eastern small-footed bat

The intensive Blitz teams surveyed 6 different sites across the Credit River Watershed, including its headwaters

The guided Blitz took place at 3 different sites within the watershed

The public nature festival "NatureFest" saw 100+ visitors brave the heat to interact with 20 different local ENGOs and groups, including birds of prey from Wild Ontario

The highest social media engagement ever for a bioblitz in Canada, with 270 people directly engaged, and overall impressions on twitter totalling 49,800 views